This headline suggests that there might be people who do not understand
a very simple and straightforward instruction. None of the students of the TGM´s
department of Mechanical Engineering is really as dumb as that. However, the
problem was that two of the guys who took part in this year´s language course
in Cambridge for some reason ignored the omnipresent information screens at
Gatwick Airport on the day of the flight back home to Vienna. That´s why I had
kind of a shock when counting heads at
the gate which I had told them to go to when a voice said “proceed to gate…”,
and realised that two students were missing. So the only thing I could do was
to have their names called out over the loudspeaker system at the huge airport,
also making sure that the flight attendant pronounced them properly, else the
boys wouldn´t have perceived them. Five unbearable minutes passed, in my
imagination I saw ourselves flying back to Austria, leaving the two
of them behind. By the way, they wouldn´t have had any money left to buy
tickets for a flight, if the airline had got any in the first place. Finally, they
came running along, sweating all over, and we made it into the plane after all,
in the nick of time.
As I quite often learn things the hard way like this time, I said to
myself I would never again leave the students unattended at a busy airport, or
at least I would give them a vivid description of what would happen if they did not play by the rules.
So much for the only bad memory
I have of this week in Cambridge. Now for the more
pleasant aspects: The results of the projects done this year very impressive. Obviously
the prize-money granted by Raiffeisen Landesbank Wien, which this time could be
increased by some an additional amount, made the one girl and the 25 boys do
their best. Doing fieldwork in the street about things concerning the project
topic and recording the interviews with cameras has become a fairly useful
additional task for the students It seems they had good fun, as some of the
recordings they made have shown, particularly when it came to approaching “cute
chicks”
(politically incorrect, but handy expression, quoted).
London was as usual (meaning
“as exciting as usual”), and all the students turned up at the appointed time
in the evening after having explored the magnificent city and taken loads of
photos. But what´s the use of having obedient and punctual pupils if the other group from Austria who the bus had
brought into London with us as well keeps you waiting for as much as an hour
because they forget about the time at Madame Tussaud´s.
Another highlight of the week
was a visit to the War and Aviation Musuem at Duxford near Cambridge. Those interested
in old and new airplanes and all kinds of vehicles and weapons got their
money´s worth.
On behalf of the students, I would like to give special thanks to
1)
Raiffeisen Landesbank Wien
3)
the Elternverein
for their generous support, a
great incentive for the project work and a welcome reduction of the costs of
the trip
and last but not least
4)
to Anna, for being very supportive
5)
to Charlie (the campus cat), for offering good
distraction to the students during lunchtime and breaks.
to give the group maximum comfort.
from Austria – thanks a lot,
Your Highness!
(c) hubert t.
